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Ming Tsai

About The Host:

Ming Tsai’s culinary pursuits began in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio where he spent countless hours cooking alongside his mother and father at their family owned restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen. His love of cooking (and eating!) great food was forged early on, while he gained valuable experience in both the front and back of the house.

With food still deeply ingrained, Ming headed east to attend school at Andover and then onto earn his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Yale University. During this time, Ming never strayed far from the kitchen; while at Yale, his sophomore summer was spent at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Upon graduation, Ming made the decision to make food his focus and set out to learn as much as he could in kitchens around the globe. In Paris, he trained under renowned Pastry Chef, Pierre Herme and in Osaka with Sushi Master Kobayashi. By the time Ming returned to the United States, he knew that he had made the right decision to pursue his true calling in the world of food.

In February of 1998, Ming’s dream became reality. He and his wife Polly opened the doors to Blue Ginger, a bistro-style restaurant dedicated to East-West cuisine. Since opening, Blue Ginger has impressed diners and critics — from Boston and beyond with its unique East-West cuisine. Blue Ginger has received 3 stars from the Boston Globe, was named "Best New Restaurant" by Boston Magazine, was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as "Best New Restaurant 1998" and Esquire Magazine honored Ming as "Chef of the Year 1998." The James Beard Foundation crowned Ming as the "2002 Best Chef Northeast," while the 2002-2003 Zagat Restaurant Guide rated Blue Ginger as the "2nd Most Popular Boston Restaurant." Ming is currently the host of public television’s cooking show, Simply Ming, which airs nationally.

Ming is also the author of two cookbooks — his first, Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai, is now in its 8th edition and was selected by Food and Wine Magazine as one of 1999’s 25 best cookbooks. Ming’s second and third cookbooks, Simply Ming and Ming’s Master Recipes, echo the format of his television series by the same name, featuring the recipes of his show, as well as recommended beverage pairings for each dish, helpful hints and a guide to Asian ingredients. Ming was the 1998 Emmy-Award winning host of East Meets West, Cooking With Ming Tsai and Ming’s Quest on the Food Network.